Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso[1] (born February 20, 1978), known professionally as Lauren Ambrose, is an American actress and singer. She performs in television, film, and on Broadway.
Lauren Ambrose | |
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![]() Ambrose in 2000 | |
Born | Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso (1978-02-20) February 20, 1978 (age 44) New Haven, Connecticut, United States |
Occupation |
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Years active | 1990–present |
Spouse | Sam Handel (m. 2001) |
Children | 2 |
Ambrose had television roles as Claire Fisher in Six Feet Under (2001–2005), for which she was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards and won two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and as Jilly Kitzinger in Torchwood: Miracle Day (2011). Her film credits include Can't Hardly Wait (1998), Psycho Beach Party (2000), Sleepwalk with Me (2012), and Where the Wild Things Are (2009). She is the lead singer of the ragtime band Lauren Ambrose and the Leisure Class.[2]
Ambrose portrayed the lead role of Eliza Doolittle in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of My Fair Lady on Broadway, for which she was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and won the 2018 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
In 2019, Ambrose began starring as Dorothy Turner in the Apple TV+ psychological horror series Servant.
Lauren Anne D'Ambruoso was born in New Haven, Connecticut on February 20, 1978.[3][4] She is the daughter of Frank D'Ambruoso, a caterer and Anne (née Wachtel), an interior designer. She is of Italian descent on her father's side,[5] and German, English, and Irish on her mother's. Ambrose attended Choate Rosemary Hall, Wilbur Cross High School, High School in the Community, and the ACES Educational Center for the Arts in New Haven as part of the class of 1996.[6] She is also a trained opera singer who studied voice and opera at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute.[7]
Ambrose began her career in New York theater, starring in the Off-Broadway play Soulful Scream of a Chosen Son at the Vineyard Theatre from August to September 1990.[8][9] Her early career also included television appearances, most notably playing supporting guest roles on Law & Order, and a feature guest role on the show in the 1998 episode "Damaged" as Valerie Maxwell, a mentally-challenged young woman raped by a group of popular high school students. Her first film role was In & Out (1997).[10]
She had a prominent role in the high school comedy Can't Hardly Wait (1998). She was the ingenue lead, Florence "Chicklet" Forrest, in Psycho Beach Party (2000).
Ambrose began her role on Six Feet Under in early 2001. She was nominated for the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Emmy Award twice, following the 2002 and 2003 seasons of the critically acclaimed drama.
In 2006, Ambrose made her Broadway debut in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Awake and Sing! In 2007, she appeared as Juliet in the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. She appeared as Ophelia in the 2008 performance of Hamlet for Shakespeare in the Park.[11] Ambrose returned to Broadway in Exit the King (by Eugène Ionesco) at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on Broadway, opposite Geoffrey Rush and Susan Sarandon. Ambrose provided the voice of the monster KW in Where the Wild Things Are, which was released in 2009. She also appeared in the 2009 Hallmark film "Loving Leah."
In 2011, Ambrose appeared in seven of the ten episodes of Torchwood: Miracle Day. She played Jilly Kitzinger, a "sweet-talking PR genius with a heart of stone who's just cornered the most important client of her career and maybe of all time".[12] For her performance as Kitzinger, Ambrose received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress In Television.[13]
Ambrose is the lead singer of Lauren Ambrose and the Leisure Class, a ragtime dixieland jazz band formed in 2009. They have performed several times at Joe's Pub and charity events.[14]
Ambrose was set to play Fanny Brice in a 2012 Broadway-bound revival of Funny Girl directed by Bartlett Sher, but the production was indefinitely postponed due to financial concerns.[15] In March 2018 Ambrose started appearing as Eliza Doolittle in a new Broadway revival of My Fair Lady directed by Sher,[16][17] a performance for which she was nominated for the 2018 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and won the 2018 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.
In October 2018, Ambrose left My Fair Lady[18] to take on the lead role as Dorothy Turner in the thriller series Servant produced by M. Night Shyamalan and Tony Basgallop for Apple TV+. The series premiered in November 2019 and she has been starring in it since 2019.[19][20]
Ambrose has been married to professional photographer Sam Handel since September 2001. They have two children.[21][22][23][24]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1997 | In & Out | Vicky Rayburn | |
1998 | Can't Hardly Wait | Denise Fleming | |
1998 | Summertime's Calling Me | Tami | Short film |
2000 | Swimming | Frankie Wheeler | |
2000 | Psycho Beach Party | Florence "Chicklet" Forrest | |
2004 | Admissions | Evie Brighton | |
2006 | Diggers | Zoey | |
2007 | Starting Out in the Evening | Heather Wolfe | |
2009 | A Dog Year | Emma | |
2009 | Cold Souls | Stephanie | |
2009 | Where the Wild Things Are | KW (voice) | |
2009 | The Other Woman | Mindy | |
2011 | I'm Coming Over | Greta | Short film |
2011 | About Sunny | Angela | Also producer |
2012 | Sleepwalk with Me | Abby | |
2012 | Wanderlust | Almond | |
2012 | Grassroots | Emily Bowen | |
2013 | The River | Maria | Short film |
TBA | The Vanishings at Caddo Lake |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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1992 | Law & Order | Jessica | Episode: "Skin Deep" |
1993 | Law & Order | Maureen McKinnon | Episode: "Pride and Joy" |
1995 | The State | Audience Member | Episode: "3.10" |
1998 | Law & Order | Valerie Maxwell | Episode: "Damaged" |
1999 | Party of Five | Myra Wringler | 5 episodes |
2001–2005 | Six Feet Under | Claire Fisher | Main role |
2008 | The Return of Jezebel James | Coco Tompkins | 6 episodes |
2009 | Loving Leah | Leah Lever | Television film |
2011 | Torchwood: Miracle Day | Jilly Kitzinger | 7 episodes |
2011 | Weekends at Bellevue | Ellie Harlow | Pilot |
2012 | Coma | Susan Wheeler | 2 episodes |
2013 | Robot Chicken | Anita Radcliffe / Natasha Fatale (voices) | Episode: "Papercut to Aorta" |
2013 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Vanessa Mayer | 2 episodes |
2014 | Deliverance Creek | Belle Gatlin Barlow | Television film |
2015 | Dig | Debbie Morgan | 8 episodes |
2015 | Broad Squad | Eileen | Pilot |
2016–2018 | The X-Files | Special Agent Liz Einstein | 3 episodes |
2016 | The Interestings | Jules Jacobson | Pilot |
2019–present | Servant | Dorothy Turner | Main role |
2022–present | Yellowjackets | Adult Van | Main role |
Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
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2007 | The Darkness | Jenny Romano |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
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2004 | Buried Child | Shelly | Royal National Theatre |
2006 | Awake and Sing! | Hennie Berger | Belasco Theatre |
2007 | Romeo and Juliet | Juliet | Delacorte Theatre |
2008 | Hamlet | Ophelia | Delacorte Theatre |
2009 | Exit the King | Queen Marie | Ethel Barrymore Theatre |
2018 | My Fair Lady | Eliza Doolittle | Vivian Beaumont Theatre |
Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
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2002 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Six Feet Under | Nominated | [25] |
2002 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | [26] | |
2002 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice TV Drama Actress | Nominated | [27] | |
2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series | Nominated | [25] | |
2003 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Won | [28] | |
2004 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Won | [29] | |
2005 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | [30] | |
2006 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Nominated | [31] | |
2009 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film | Loving Leah | Nominated | [32] |
2012 | Independent Spirit Awards | Best Female Lead | Think of Me | Nominated | [33] |
2012 | Saturn Awards | Best Supporting Actress on Television | Torchwood: Miracle Day | Nominated | [34] |
2018 | Tony Award | Best Actress in a Musical | My Fair Lady | Nominated | [35] |
2018 | Drama League Award | Distinguished Performance | Nominated | [36] | |
2018 | Outer Critics Circle Award | Outstanding Actress in a Musical | Won | [37] | |
2019 | Grammy Award | Best Musical Theater Album | Nominated | [38] | |
2021 | SEC Awards | Best Actress in a Thriller Series | Servant | Nominated | [39] |
2022 | Critics' Choice Super Award | Best Actress in a Horror Series | Nominated | [40] |
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National libraries | |
Other |